FEATURE 23
Water is my passion !
By
Rory Macnamara
This issue we interview Darryl Brainin of Burgess & Partners who tells us why he became a plumbing contractor .
What is interesting about these interviews are the real reasons as to why people become plumbers is “ off the record .”
Darryl was no different , as is the case with most young people who do not really know what they want to do when they leave school . In the days of conscription , it was Darryl ’ s second year in the army when he had lunch with Chris Burgess who suggested that Darryl should try plumbing . He left it without any further thought and by about October / November Chris phoned him and extended the invite again .
So , Darryl thought , “ OK let ’ s give it a bash .” And 34 years later he is still at Burgess & Partners , a director of the company responsible for technical and sales but still a plumber at heart .
“ Water is my passion and plumbing is integral to the water scene . What I leant in those early days of contracting grew my passion for water and the fundamentals of plumbing and I will forever be grateful for these years and the years to come that I am able to practice the work of plumbing .”
Plumbing Africa Rory Macnamara
Darryl Brainin .
I expect my preference for larger projects comes from my initial involvement in plumbing as I enjoy the challenges that come up in the projects .”
Darryl made some observations about starting at the contractor level as one deals with all aspects of water and plumbing , including getting down and dirty in the trenches but learning every step of the way and appreciating the big picture of water and plumbing ’ s critical and essential part in this picture .
One sensed a certain sadness for the young plumbers of today who go straight into maintenance and do not experience this big picture . Not to put down the significant role of maintenance at all , but it does confine the growth of individuals as maintenance is clearly focused on the issue at hand and solving that issue .
The projects and sales side – which is what Darryl is involved with – also opens the mind to other industries and how water impacts on these industries in so many ways and how we can assist these clients in being a part of ongoing water saving initiatives .
“ One gets to interact with so many different people in their special fields from glass manufacturing through to paper processing and others where no job is the same , creating the ability to work with all these people as well as learning to be creative in problem solving . The change in materials and technology over the last 34 years has shown the need to keep up to date and ahead if one wants to be different and ahead of competitors .
As with other plumbers Plumbing Africa has interviewed , Darryl emphasised that the importance of learning the soft skills is critical and not taught in our training . Whilst the plumber has the technical skills , he / she needs to appreciate one is dealing with humans who have different views and by recognising this and being able to deal with people and understand where they come from is essential .
“ Understanding the changing technology and the need to adapt to these like CRM systems which enable us to manage plumber ’ s movements , client information and sales pipeline is imperative in business .
Also , I insist on the job being done correctly , using quality products and quality staff . ( Off the record , I think my guys consider me quite pedantic in this regard !) Back on record now , the customer is more than just a customer but rather a member of our family and the best part of my work is being able to treat both staff and customers as part of this big happy family but understanding not to take advantage of the relationship ,” Darryl concludes . PA
“ Water is my passion and plumbing is integral to the water scene .”
June 2022 Volume 28 I Number 4 www . plumbingafrica . co . za